Russo & Gould recently published an article in Building Western New York, the official publication of the Construction Exchange of Buffalo & WNY, Inc., entitled “Russo & Gould LLP Provides Overview of Exposure and Pitfalls for Contractors, Owners, and Subcontractors.” The article discussed the legal and financial burdens that New York’s rigid labor laws can place on owners and general contractors when accidents occur on job sites, offering several suggestions for protecting against financial liability exposure.

Among the many tips suggested in the article, Alan Russo said: “If you are a general contractor on a site, you have to make sure that you have an airtight indemnification agreement with all your subcontractors, as well as to require that all subcontractors also need to indemnify the owner of the project.” As prevention is key to avoiding lawsuits, Alan also encouraged GCs to enforce safety on their projects by hiring a company to provide on-site safety monitoring or designating a safety coordinator.

Florina Altshiler, who was also featured in the article, recommended that GCs and smaller contractors develop a relationship with an insurance broker or lawyer to make sure they have the proper insurance policies in place before starting a project.

Read the full article here (pp. 48-50).